Short Shots Photo Contest

Luckily there was a full moon that night. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have ventured out into grandpa’s field with me. Olivia was always a cautious girl. Growing up she never jumped in the creek with us boys, she never stayed out past curfew; she never did anything that might cause her discomfort or pain. She truly was a coward.

My feelings for her were mixed—at best. I’d loved her ever since childhood, and yet hated her at the same time. I hated her for her beauty and the ease at which life presented itself to her. Even as a child she could walk into a room and make friends with anyone she met, and I always envied her for that. So, I suppose, since I couldn’t have that charm that she possessed, I sought to win her favor.

Being the kind and cowardly girl that she was, she never blew me off. She often insisted that I was a nice guy and a great friend. Looking back on my pseudo friendship with her, it was clear that she was never romantically interested in me. That was a very frustrating fact for me to accept, but I eventually did.

“We’re going to the drive-in for our first date. Do you think that’s a mistake? Will Brian be expecting me to kiss him during the film? Come on Nicholas, as a guy, what do you think he’s thinking?” she asked.

I shrugged. I remember being appalled by her inconsideration. “I don’t know Olivia. If it were me, I wouldn’t be taking you to the drive-in on our first date. Everyone knows that’s a place for serious couples—or people who want to get serious. I think it was unfair of him to put you in such a situation.”

She turned from the vanity mirror in her bedroom and tilted her head at me. “You are so protective of me Nicholas. You know I love you for that, don’t you?” she asked.

I left her house that afternoon enraged. I spent the twilight hours burying my anger out in grandfather’s field. It was cathartic. I had never felt such a release before.

It was when night fell, and that bright moon began to rise, that I received a call from a sobbing Olivia. Brian had not shown up for their date, and she was very upset. She asked me to come over, through her window, and talk with her—like when we were kids. I obliged.

In her small room, atop her skinny bed, she laid. When I climbed through her open window, she didn’t take her face from the fluffy white pillow. It wasn’t until I touched her leg that she looked up at me.

“Why didn’t he come?” she asked, through tears.

“I don’t know,” I responded flatly. After a long pause, I sighed. “He’s stupid to blow this chance with you.”

She sat up and wrapped her arms around me. “I wish I could find a guy like you,” she mumbled.

I froze with anger.

The moon had risen significantly by the time we made our way into grandpa’s field. It had been a few hours; enough time for her to regain her standard level of pep. “Are you sure it’s ok that we’re out here?” she asked.

As we made our way deeper into the nearly barren field, I turned back to look at her. “Yeah, it’s pretty much my property. Technically I have to wait until he dies, but they’re both so old and senile they wouldn’t notice or care that we’re here.”

“Why are we here, Nicholas? It’s cold and creepy out here. We’re not little kids anymore. Why do you want to go exploring now?”

I stopped and looked at her again. “Because you’re my best friend, and I wanted to share this with you,” I explained.

Finally the creek came into sight. The reflected light of the massive white moon cast a glow across her awestruck face. “This is so beautiful,” she gushed. She stared at the wavering image of the moon in the creek.

It was a heavy shovel. The once shiny metal end was rusted brown, but that was no matter. It was heavy enough to kill her with one blow to the head, and sturdy enough to endure the shallow grave that I dug for her. Atop the corpses I planted a maple sapling, which grew significantly that year. Perhaps flesh is a good fertilizer.

Back then girls that disappeared from a small town, in the middle of the night, were chalked up as runaways. The police questioned me once, but seemed to have already determined that she had taken off for the coast with her boyfriend—who had also disappeared that night.

As time passed, I watched that tree grow. I was reminded of my deeds everyday. Did that cause me guilt? No. Not one bit.

Word Count:  818